Assessment of elemental compositions in the soils of Hakim Gara Quarry using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

Abstract

The fast, accurate, and non-destructive analytical tool known as Instrumental Neutron Acti-vation Analysis (INAA) was employed to qualitatively and quantitatively assess major, minor, and trace elements in twenty soil samples collected from the Hakim Gara quarrying area in Ethiopia. The samples were irradiated at the Ghana Nuclear Research Reactor (GhIRR-1). This technique identified a total of 24 elements, including seven rare earth elements (REE): Al, Fe, K, As, Br, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Ga, La, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Ta, Tb, Th, U, V, and Yb. The study compared the measured values of elemental concentrations in two groups (I and II), revealing that the elemental concentrations were generally higher in group I than in group II. The concentrations of the identified elements ranged from 0.83 mg/kg for Sb to 5.4% for Al. The concentrations of the long-lived radionuclides U, Th, and K were measured as 0.7 ± 0.2, 8.5 ± 4.1, and 3.0 ± 1.0, respectively. The average elemental concentrations obtained in this study were compared with similar studies, the continental upper crust, and global averages. The highest concentration values were found for Ga, Mn, Na, and Tb, while the lowest value was measured for Yb. The concentrations of K and Th were found to be lower than those in the continental crust, whereas the concentration of U was slightly higher. Further research should be conducted in quarry sites throughout the country.